


the quick report of light doused out with our tongues

by blueabsinthe, boltschick2612



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Nostalgia, Offseason Shenanigans, Sharing a Bed, Sleepy Cuddles, Tampa Bay Lightning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 08:29:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4997860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueabsinthe/pseuds/blueabsinthe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/boltschick2612/pseuds/boltschick2612
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He let Val's words roll around in his mind for a few minutes, and he dissected them, sounding out each word to the rhythm the rain was beating on the windows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the quick report of light doused out with our tongues

**Author's Note:**

> Because we chat!fic a lot. Takes place after the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. We're being a bit *hand wavy* with the details following the Lightning's sweep by Montreal. 
> 
> Title is from the book _Miraculous Hours _, by Matt Rader.__

Ben wasn't quite sure what woke him first; the cold air tickling his leg, or the sound of the rain beating against the window.

He blinked, bringing the room into focus, before he scowled. He then tugged on the comforter, only to meet resistance and a grunt in protest. Yeah, it was most definitely the gust of cold air that initially woke him up.

However, a loud crack of thunder shook the windows, making Ben rethink his initial decision. Maybe it was the heavy rain, beating a steady, almost musical rhythm against the windows, that forced him awake. And he could honestly say he wasn't at all surprised he woke in the same type of mood he had eventually fallen asleep in, after hours of tossing and turning in the bed; horrible.

Although, Ben was slightly shocked when he fought to pull the covers over his body, only to be met by a tug as strong as his, followed by a sleep drenched sound of protest. He was almost sure Valtteri wasn't in the bed when he had fallen asleep the night before, and he was pretty sure he hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night to call him to come over. It was about that time Ben remembered he had given Val the key to his condo a few days before he had left for Missouri, along with a kiss and a promise he'd call as soon as he got out of surgery, and every day after.

Ben had only gotten back into town the night before, a week sooner than he originally planned, and made it a point to keep his arrival a secret. As a matter of fact, there was only one other person that knew Ben had decided to leave St.Louis a week early, and fly back to Tampa, and said person was currently laying next to him, making an overzealous attempt to steal the covers.

Ben tugged futilely at the sheets again, and huffed in protest as Val mumbled sleepily and shifted his body closer.

"It's good to see you too," Val mumbled.

Ben huffed. "Could've at least saved me some of the covers."

Val chuckled. "Where's the fun in me just giving you them, though?"

Ben made one last attempt to win the sheets from Val's grip, and get comfortable in the bed. Damn rain, and damn sheets. At least when he was asleep, Ben didn't have to think about his team's all too early exit from the playoffs, which hurt like hell.

Ben had been looking forward to an entire day of staying in bed, sleeping, and not worrying about a damn thing. If Val had been anyone else, Ben would have been angry about his disrupted plans. Of course, if Val had been anyone else, he wouldn't have even been in Ben's bed to begin with.

"How'd the surgery go?" Val asked, brushing his lips against Ben's arm, then venturing down over his smooth skin until his lips found the rough zig zag of a healing scar.

Ben sighed. "Successful. For all the good it did us." He tugged on the sheets again, and did a mental fist pump when he managed to extricate a bit of them.

"You worry too much, pet," Val mumbled, running his index finger down Ben's arm.

Ben turned his head, Val's crystal blue eyes staring back at him. He let Val's words roll around in his mind for a few minutes, and he dissected them, sounding out each word to the rhythm the rain was beating on the windows. He decided to move right past the literal pet name Val had chosen for him, because really, it was one of the many things that made Val who he was, and Ben secretly adored it. But, was Val right? Did he worry too much?

The only positive to their playoff run being so short was he got to have surgery a little sooner rather than later. 

"Easy for you to say," he mumbled, dragging his eyes from Val's. "You have a cup ring."

"I'm just going to ignore that last comment," Val said, shifting closer, so he was pressed against Ben's side.

"It's true," Ben grumbled, and tugged on the sheets, again. Hard.

Ben could almost hear as Val rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me."

"It's dark, pet, no way you could see that." Val quipped, a slight laugh skirting the edges of his voice.

"I can feel it." Ben huffed.

"Oh, can you?" Val started, before pausing to nip at the spot behind Ben's ear. "Can you feel that, too?"

A low moan from Ben was the only answer Val got, but, he wasn’t expecting much else. In that instant, Ben was all but convinced it was Val's plan all along to render him near the point of speechless incoherency, and the longer Val trailed his lips over the column of his neck, the better it worked.

Ben would have forgotten everything, Cup rings and playoff sweeps, had Val not stilled his movements and broke the near silence.

"As I said, don't worry so much. You'll get one. You deserve it."

It took Ben a few seconds for the haze to leave his brain, and for him to remember what they were even talking about, but when he did, he couldn't stop himself from seeing the silver ring in his mind. How would it even look, wrapped around his finger, and would he ever get to find out?

The worries of the night seemed a little less with Val curled by his side, and the not so distant future seemed a little more promising.

"I'll get you another one. I'll do it for you," Ben vowed, his voice still rough with sleep.

Val's reply was a feather light kiss at the corner of Ben's lips, and words as smooth as silk. "Do it for us."


End file.
